Stephen Colbert interviewed Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on The Colbert Report yesterday:
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jim” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Woz and former Apple execs buy Jazz Semiconductor – September 27, 2006
The Wall Street Journal interviews Apple co-founder Woz – September 26, 2006
iWoz autobiography hits bookstores – September 26, 2006
Woz to speak at Philadelphia Library on September 30th – September 14, 2006
Woz’s new autobiography coming in September – August 25, 2006
Woz plans 2007 Hummer ride to South Pole with Buzz Aldrin, James Cameron to film in 3D – August 04, 2006
Video: Woz playing Segway polo (and bonking pedestrian on head) – July 08, 2006
Apple CEO Steve Jobs declines to write foreword for Woz’s autobiography – April 14, 2006
Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak autobiography ‘I, Woz’ coming this fall – April 11, 2006
Go Woz
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Stephen Colbert isn’t exactly a computer geek, so the interview would obviously not be all that informative.
Woz is such an odd guy.
Woz is messed up. Seriously. This is a terrible interview.
I love Woz. Hero to millions of geeks everywhere.
Looks like Jabba the Hutt to me.
Woz looked and acted like a complete asshole privileged shithead. And he probably is- glorified by being simply in the right place at the right time, not unlike many other residents of fame and fortune. But he badly needs to be bitch-slapped, and probably always has.
Like Colbert wondered- ‘did you really help invent the personal computer…?’ in total disbelief after seeing how this turd acted in front of him.
interesting…that interview didn’t really go all that well.
That was strange and awkward. The metal business card? Not at all funny. I’ve always liked Wozniak but flaunting sharp objects on a plane doesn’t even come close to the orbit of planet humor. He should stick to teaching kids about science, writing books and Segway polo. Maybe even another Us Festival but not this.
I admire Woz tremendously for his contribution to society, but he is a raving lunatic. His joke about taking his own steak knife on the plane as a gag was disgusting, and the sign that he is totally out of touch with reality. How stupid do you have to be to make a joke like that in the times we are living. The audience was just as confused as Steven. He needs to never be qouted by compter magazines ever again. I honestly think there is some mental illness there.
Personlly, I think Steve jobs should sue Woz for using the “i” in front of Woz as the title of his book. Woz has nothing to do with the iMac or iTunes and etc. Woz has no connection to Apple, as it exists today and the title could confuse people who don’t know that this lunatic has nothing to do with Apple these days. It’s a bad thing for Apple to have him running around town talking about Apple Computer or mentioning Apple Computer.
the best line of the interview…
“you two were the adam and eve of nerds.”
the rest of it was forgettable.
Man, some of you guys need to get a sense of humor.
Are you serious? Woz beat Colbert at his own game. Ever watched the show when the interviewee takes it seriously. Colbert walks all over the guy when that happens.
The Colbert report is a comedy not a real chat show.
Holy fucking shit, Wade. Do you really think that Woz was “in the right place at the right time” to invent the first personal computer? Uh, I hate to tell you, but back then it wasn’t as simple as buying all the parts at Radio Shack and following a book to do it. It’s not like he was standing there and the computer appeared and he said “Look what I invented.” It’s not that simple, dumbass.
Yeah, and Colbert is a “serious” journalist, too. Please, people. This was just total schlock. But fun schlock. Period.
Love the guy, the world really needs people like him.
But I’m really glad he isn’t running Apple Computer..!
Oh…leave him alone. He’s harmless. He’s just a rich guy flogging a book and he DID change all our lives through his efforts. So give him credit and ignore his eccentricities. He just chooses to share them from time to time. What do you REALLY know about the personal private life of Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates, or any other famous person? Not much. Steve might have beliefs or behaviors that some people would be surprised about…but what does it matter?
Leave Woz alone. If you don’t like what he says, don’t buy his book.
You know, you are right. Colbert does tash you. Woz actually left Colbert speachless. Powerless. It was hoot. Clearly, Woz is a bright guy…and he does beat to a different drummer. He certainly was no victim to colbert.
You really shouldn’t take life so seriously! All of Colbert’s interviews are awkward. That’s the point really. Colbert makes humor out of that scary social divide that exists between all of us.
And characters like Steve Wozniack make for very good subjects in that regard.
Be weary of Woz.
He runs in unholy circles.
Most of it was goofy and funny. However, I could have done without his story about showing a flight attendant how he can cut a steak with his metal business card.
None of you tools understand anything. COLBERT IS HILARIOUS!!! WOZ is a NERD!!! THE INTERVIEW WAS AWESOME!!!!
One word: weird.
They both suck.
What an incredibly shitty “interview”.
Get a person so out of touch with reality, who wrote neither of his own books and plop him in front of a snide asshole that makes a living deriding anything that moves (and in this case a thing that don’t unless powered by a Segway) and it is an embarrassment of half-assed impromptu retorts.
MY WORD, THAT SUCKED.
What is hilarious is that Stephen Colbert’s character is based on Bill O’Reilly. So when you characterize him as “a snide asshole that makes a living deriding anything that moves” you are actually talking about an impression of Bill O’Reilly. Ha! Now THAT’S comic genius.
I thought it was amusing. Colbert tends to romp over most of his guests – all in good fun – but Woz didn’t let that happen.
As for those who think Woz was “at the right place at the right time”, get a CLUE! He may not have “invented the personal computer”, but he certainly was responsible for designing many of the chips/combinations that made the Apple ][ all that it was. Jobs is brilliant, charismatic, and a great concept man, but it was Woz who built the hardware. And that was back in a time when there were no schools – no ‘shop’ courses, no college courses, no tech school courses – and no books (except tech manuals) to show you the way. You want to dump on him? First, tell me what your design insight has been – any field!
“and in this case a thing that don’t unless powered by a Segway)”
The world can tell you wrote that, yourself.
Colbert; “ok I’ll bite”
Hey Santa, when I get like that, kill me, PLEASE!
Very funny interview!
Clearly Woz is some kind of nutty genius. He exists on a different plane than the rest of “reality”.
I was actually shocked that Colbert let him talk. it was almost as if he were honored and awed by Woz’s presence.
Colbert is charming and brilliant and the Colbert Report is one of the best things on TV!
Woz was clearly in complete control of that interview. I’ve seen a couple of folks go toe-to-toe with Colbert in his inteviews, but never anyone completely control one.
Good for Woz!
Wow. What a total jerk. That guy has serious problems. Woz, I never knew you. But now that I know you, I’m going to forget you.
BuriedCeaser, You get it.
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Someone said “.that interview didn’t really go all that well.” Hmmmmm, I thought it went great. Colbert always tries to make his guest look stupid as they try to sell what ever they are selling.
Woz nailed him everytime. I still don’t know if the metal business card is a prank or not. Well done Woz!!
At the end, I then Colbert even gave up and congratulated Woz for the great job. Colbert was on the taking end for a change. Neat.
JMHO.
N.
I agree with DL Meyer and Newsreader. Colbert usually walks all over the interviewee. Didn’t do that to the Woz. I thought it was refresing because he didn’t or couldn’t ( not sure which)
And yes Woz definately has a wierd sense of humor – or should we just say that he has retained his childhood sense of humor and delight.
Anyway, I thought the interview was great.
I once told a stewardess that I could hammer nails with mine.
I watched this last night. Seriously one of the worst interviews I’ve ever seen. Woz just seemed like an asshole and there was no point to any of it. Not funny, not informative, not watchable. I love The Colbert Report, but that was just complete garbage.
I thought it was a great “interview”.
Both funny and surreal – the show is a comedy afterall.
If anything, the Woz came off as really shrewd or completely insane – but I didn’t think that he was an ass.
Woz ain’t Einstein, folks. Was he in the right place at the right time? You bet he was. Was Jobs able to use him? You bet he was. Was there someone else who could’ve been Woz? You bet there was, but Stevo didn’t bump into him. Right now, there is no indication that the past is a direct path to the future. What we saw on Colbert was _not_ someone getting the better of Colbert, because he will play into whatever you’re dealing- what we saw was a prick being a prick.
Nice buisness card. I want one; the feds won’t see it coming!
Not only did Woz do the hardware for early Apples, he later gave away chunks of his money to Apple employees to low on the total poll to benefit from the IPO, taught grade school for years as a service, went back after getting rich to UC Berkeley under a pseudonym and still graduated top of his class. The guy is a national treasure.
Wade, and others.
I read your critiques, and I don’t get it.
I sincerely don’t understand your rancor.
Woz was being a ‘prick’? Woz was at the right place at the right time? WTF?
Care to elaborate? I hope that you will.
[FWIW, and as has been mentioned a few times in this thread — Woz didn’t have an instruction book to guide him in the developement of the first Apple computers. No one did]
My first computer was a TRS-80. Who made that? Noone ever gave a history of that. One of the FIRST.
“to low on the total poll”
Or, “too low on the totem pole” but I guess your way IS more politically correct (for all “in tents and porpoises”).
I now know why Woz isn’t part of Apple. he’s completely insane. might be a genius and rightfully deserves to be revered amongst us Mac heads…but wow.
Some of you better get your heads out of your asses. It just shows how narrow-minded some of you are. If you are intolerant of other’s difference then you’re no better than those who wear explosives on their bodies and blow themselves up.
As far as I’m concerned Woz is just another guy who did what he loved and got attention for it. Even with the success he didn’t do what most of you probably would do: act like an asshole. Steve Wozniak is still the prankster and genius that he is even after some thirty plus years.
The interview was damn funny since you can see Colbert trying catch up. Woz was just too fast for him. This is a classic.
“Some of you better get your heads out of your asses.”
Not until my prostate self-exam home kit tells me it’s time. This is too important to screw up. Man, it’s hard to type this way.
Sjeez, how can anybody get upset about an interview like this?
Never saw this Stephen Colbert (Colbert = Jacket in Dutch btw…) but he is just another gimmick on tv talking, running and pulling faces to be funny imho. Assuming that he’s always this way, I can imagine Wozniak allowing the interview for matching him and beating him in his own game.
Anybody taking this serious is more nerd and geek than Wozniak could ever be called in a life-time.
That SUCKED really hard. Woz is as dry as a popcorn fart. Does he know what FUNNY means???
I’ll never get that time back.
I’ve read some of the other Steve Jobs books bio’s, and one time they said Steve Jobs was working for HP and was asigned to make a motherboard for something with a certain amount of transistors. Steven jobs had no idea how to make it, and was crying or showed worry on his face. Woz saw that and said he can help out. Woz ends up finishing the assignment and did it in one night (week project to finish). The funny part was he doubled the amount of transitors that was needed. When jobs gave it to his bosses they were very impressed. I think that was the time Jobs said that he was going to give him 50/50 split on the money for that project, and jobs gave WOz $400 to jobs $5000. Thats when Woz cried for days cause Jobs would do something like that. Pretty smart guy at his time.
“The funny part was he doubled the amount of transitors that was needed. When jobs gave it to his bosses they were very impressed.”
They were impressed that he doubled the number of transistors, thereby greatly increasing the cost of production? I think you mean to say he used half as many transistors.
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What is hilarious is that Stephen Colbert’s character is based on Bill O’Reilly. So when you characterize him as “a snide asshole that makes a living deriding anything that moves” you are actually talking about an impression of Bill O’Reilly. Ha! Now THAT’S comic genius
—
Um yeah…
Are you equating “any criticism of Colbert” with “pro-Bush/pro/FOXNews/Pro-Bill O’Reilly” or something similarly asinine?
I’m anything but an Republican or BushCo supporter. Eff them all HARD.
But Colbert is a one-trick pony. Hm, so is Woz. I guess it WAS the perfect interview, since it highlighted both of their respective suckage and lack of talent now that they are into their 16th minute of fame.
Alternate book titles:
“iWoz somebody once”.
Or:
“How Steve Jobs Saved Apple Computer While I Ate Twinkies And Played Segway Polo”
(Who wants to bet that those that are so warm and cuddly about this interview, or Woz in general, are all 45 year old 400LB programmers?)
Oh come one – okay, the interview was pretty weird, and Woz may be pretty eccentric and a bit oddball, but at least give the guy the RESPECT he deserves. This is a guy who’s done more for the world than either Jobs or Colbert. Woz has been involved in charities and helping kids for decades. What have you haters given to the world apart from your snyde, unthoughtful remarks on sites like this?
Read a bit about Woz and then you might be able to have an opinion, suckwads.
The trouble starts when Woz creepily says how great it is to be “close” to Colbert… but then it REALLY starts when Colbert pretends not to know what podcasting is.
By the time Colbert looks at Woz and says “you’re a f*cking idiot, aren’t you” (to the tune of ‘you really invented computers?’), it’s hit rock bottom.
And the joke book thing? Get a media coach, Woz, please.
MDN word: before. ie, I liked Woz much better before I saw this clip.
Woz sounded like Elmer Fudd, he is such a dork-nerd, I wonder why doesn’t he do electronics again?
I think his prank of using a metal credit card on flights is annoying on many levels, if he tried it while wearing brownish skin colour makeup, now that would be funny.
“I’ve read some of the other Steve Jobs books bio’s, and one time they said Steve Jobs was working for HP and was asigned to make a motherboard for something with a certain amount of transistors. Steven jobs had no idea how to make it, and was crying or showed worry on his face. Woz saw that and said he can help out. Woz ends up finishing the assignment and did it in one night (week project to finish). The funny part was he doubled the amount of transitors that was needed. When jobs gave it to his bosses they were very impressed. I think that was the time Jobs said that he was going to give him 50/50 split on the money for that project, and jobs gave WOz $400 to jobs $5000. Thats when Woz cried for days cause Jobs would do something like that. Pretty smart guy at his time.
<u>Actual incident:</u> Jobs was working for Atari, and was aked to design the circuit board for the arcade game Breakout. It was technically over his head, so he turned to Woz for help. Woz was still working full-time for HP at the time, so he pulled four all-nighters and did the job in 42 chips. Jobs then proceeded to rip Woz off. Woz wasn’t hurt over the money in particular, but really by the fact that Jobs had lied to him. In retrospect, he said he would have done it for a quarter – he loved the pure challenge of it.